Project :: The Tale of Two Quilts

I'm sure this post could be a "tale" but I'm not feeling particularly wordy today. But I did want to document and share my baby quilt for #6 and as with all things #6 it includes a story.

You may remember my dilemma with not finding out the gender of #6 when it came to hand-knits and coming home outfits. I had the same problem with the quilt.

I have waited through four boy's baby quilts to make a girly quilt. Sweet pink, pastels, flowers...oh I wanted to make a baby girl quilt. So when I decided not to find out the gender of #6 a gender-neutral quilt wasn't really an option. I wanted pink! Flowers! Pretty!

But I couldn't really come to the hospital and only have a girl quilt. No matter how much I was hoping and figuring and willing #6 to be a girl I wouldn't want to not have a quilt for the baby had it been a boy. 

So just like that meant two sweaters. And two coming home outfits. That meant two quilts.

 

I started the boy one first (deciding on fabric and making first cuts in November) but while waiting for the right backing fabric I finished the girl one.

I loved it. The fabric (for both) was from some pre-cut square bundles my mom gave me for Christmas years ago. I just laid the squares out in a somewhat pleasing way and sashed them with pink. Mom's gift even came with some yardage that was used for the border and I was able to find the same line online to order the backing. I hand quilt my baby quilts so I did a simple in the ditch around the squares and once around the last border. It's not my best quilting and binding sewing. I see a lot of ripples but it is already well loved and in the years that follow I won't even notice or care.

I found the right blue for the backing and binding of the boy quilt and got to work quilting in the last couple weeks before #6 was due. I was on track to finish. Once around the border with hand quilting, once around machine sewing the binding, and once around hand sewing the binding to the back.

But the stomach bug hit.

And I went to the hospital to deliver #6 with only a baby girl quilt packed. But I only needed a baby girl quilt!

I finished the boy quilt a month or so after #6 was born. I needed it off my shelf but didn't want to put it into the unfinished projects tub to languish in almost done state!

Of course I've heard all the jokes about saving it for the next one. Ha! Ha! I have nearly daily conversations with the Lord, thanking Him for the blessings He has blessed us with. Marveling at Him for deeming us worthy of these little people but asking Him to bless the next girl next time. And because I know not everyone believes that the Lord is completely in control of that sort of thing we have also taken the precautions we deem right for us. We would like to enjoy the children we have. We are ready to move on and have big kids and enjoy the next stage.

And as it happens a great friend of Mr. Wiedz found out his wife is expecting while I was pregnant with #6 and right after I had #6 they found out they are expecting a boy! So now the "extra" quilt has a baby cooking and waiting for it.

The group sibling gift

I shared awhile back about the sweet sibling gifts that have started around here for each birthday. I'm loving this new tradition and want to encourage the thoughtfulness and caring that they each put into their gift. That said, with #5 celebrating his 1st birthday I was a little aprehensive about the time I would have to devot to the gifts. Usually there is only 1 or 2 kids who are "into" gift making. I can handle an extra craft or two. But I knew all 4 would be wanting to create something for their little brother and I didn't think I was up for 4 different craft projects with 4 different "bosses" wanting help and supplies.

So I brought up to the group an idea of doing a gift together. Each getting to decorate a fabric panel and I would put them together in a love-y style quilt. Not big enough to be an actual quilt but just right to be carried, snuggled with, cherished as a gift from his siblings.

During morning nap at then end of circle time we got out the supplies and set to work. The lovely thing about creating for a baby is the abiltity to do it right in front of them so when #5 woke up there was no stress about ruining the surprise.

#2 was having a challenging day so his chair looked like this for a lot of our creating time.

We've been dealing with a lot of copying of artist work around here. As we started our project #1 asked how many letters were in the alphabet and with that figured out had decided on a design that involved letter blocks stacked up in a pile. Wouldn't you know it that #2 started on the same design as soon as he got supplies. To avoid WWIII I turned his square into a truck and told him to figure out another design. While avoiding a huge blow-up between kids I created hurt feelings with #2. So he spent a lot of time being upset.

In the end he was able to pull together a design all his own that he was very excited about. And everyone else was proud of the work they did.

Of course we traced the alligator, then he added the alligator hunter with mohawk and ax and the big net.

Again #4's drawing came with explict directions that it said "a brown boat".

Baby was thrilled with his gift from the siblings!

I didn't take any photos of the complete gift all laid out, but it is loved. I grabbed a bunch of 2 inch pieces from my scrap bags, sewed them together and sewed the long strip that made between panels, trying for a scrappy not uniform look. I just made a quilt sandwich out of stash pieces my mom had given me. There was enough of the Clifford fabric for the back and the binding. I even put it back through the machine to quilt around each panel, sewed the binding on the front and finished on the back by hand the next couple of nights. Getting the top together and quilted took about an hour one evening then the binding was two nights in front of American Idol.

The story of a quilt

This quilt has a story. One I must tell from the beginning. Probably my mom and the recipients mom will be the only ones who stick with me to the end to hear the whole thing.

What feels like another lifetime ago Mr. Wiedz 1) gave me the birthday present that keeps giving - $5 Quilt Club at Grandma's Attic (in Dallas) and 2) started working in Argentina (this post is an interesting story of what traveling was like, and this one is amazing for it's honesty and for me at least the wow-factor of knowing that was the WEEK he ended up being done working there and coming home -- amazing). These two things didn't happen at the same time...actually about a year apart. For by 31st birthday things were, let's say, tight financially. I came up with the perfect gift Mr. Wiedz could give me. The $5 Quilt Club. The beauty of this gift is on both sides. One, it only cost $5...right up our price range. And two, it provided me with nearly 2 hours a month by myself going to quilt class. It was the gift that gave all year long. And I loved going. So much that I repaid my dues to do another year. That brings us to August/September 2008 - and Argentina! My once-a-month getaway didn't really work out when Mr. Wiedz wasn't home enough to relieve me of my duties. That year I only made it to 4 classes, so only got 4 quilt squares done.

But they were really great ones! I loved the colorway I picked that year. I tucked them away for a special project.

Fast forward to fall 2009.

Around the time that Mr. Wiedz and I found out we were expecting #5, one of my closest friends, Another Stacy, found out she was expecting her #2. When I thought about the quilt I'd like to make for her I thought of these quilt squares sitting in my unfinished projects tub. When she found out she was expecting a girl (while we were again expecting a boy) I knew this was where these quilt squares would be perfect.

The babies were born in March. #5 got his quilt just in the nick of time...Little Tam, not so much.

Early this summer I found my way to an unfriendly quilt store, 4 kids walking in to a quilt store may cause the elder woman behind the counter to cringe but I'd have loved some grace and help and a smile. Regardless, I found some fabric for sash, boarders, backing and binding. Getting the top done was quick.

Getting the quilting done took all summer. Quilt, hoop, thread and thimble went nearly everywhere I did this summer.

Interestingly, this was on the road to Pacific City, Oregon. Another Stacy's in-laws live there and Another Stacy and family were visiting the same weekend we were there.

Cutting, making and binding the quilt was probably the longest process...yikes, the quilt sat in my quilting room for months!

Finally making the labeling patch was complete and appliqued to the back of the quilt.

Boxed up and sent to my dear friend and her littlest treasure.

A quilt for #5

I did get #5's quilt finished...3 days before he was born!

If you missed the birth story scroll down to March 21 or so...the post got buried because of weird Internet errors at the hospital.

It took longer than any other quilt I've ever made because I had seen robot fabric on the Internet sometime before I even knew I was pregnant. I thought it was so cute and when I discovered #5's presence I wanted to use the robot fabric for his quilt. But by that time no online store had any in stock. I hadn't seen any in the brick and mortar stores so thought the robot fabric was gone.

With no robot fabric I couldn't get inspired about #5's quilt. I put it off and put it off. Finally, in February, I went to the fabric store and found some fabric. I even pieced a quilt top, then Mr. Wiedz said, "something's not right". I tried again with more of the fabric I'd purchased and still is wasn't "IT".

The problem wasn't the fabric but that I still couldn't get inspired without the robot fabric.

Mr. Wiedz went to work the next week and gave his assistant the job of finding the robot fabric. He also worked on the task, calling every quilt store he could find the name for. He found the robot fabric I'd fallen in love with, ordered it and surprised me with enough yardage for the quilt in my head and heart.

Once the fabric came and the kinks of the block pattern were worked out it was early March. Crunch time. In blazing speed I was able to piece, quilt and bind the quilt. Finishing just days before his birth.

I'm SO please with this quilt. It is exactly what I'd always pictured with this fabric. And looks like such a little boy quilt with the robots and the blue and orange colors.

Love it.

And love these little boy hands, arms and cheeks that lay on it.

And of course love these little boy toes!

A quilt for a new little

Mr. Wiedz's cousin RJ had a baby last month. The family got together to meet the new little sweet thing and shower baby and mom with gifts.

I finished Miss. R's quilt in January and was ready to give it to her.

She was a cooperative model though didn't have an opinion on the actual quilt.
Who can resist baby toes!

Whew!

The quilt for the auction at school tonight is finished! I stayed up way too late last night so my only responsibility to the quilt would be to photograph it.

The kids that signed up for quilting for project day in January chose the designs and did most of the fusible webbing applique.

I embroidered the words to a song #1's 2nd and 3rd grade class sing. I asked the teacher who sung it and she didn't know...she learned it as part of a longer song at camp when she was growing up.

I also hand quilted around many of the elements the kids appliqued. It was a challenge to go through so many thicknesses, especially with fusible webbing between each layer but the result is really nice. I'm really loving the light blue thread on the brown background.

I'm glad to be done. On to new projects!

Finishing and Starting

After Easter I mentioned the list I made in January. Another thing I started in January was a quilt project for the auction at the kids' school. Students at the project day made the blocks using fusible webbing applique. Then I've put it all together and quilted it. The auction is Friday so I'm thrilled to be finished with the quilting. Now all that's left is the binding which will hopefully go on easily the next couple of days.


Now that the quilt project is almost over I'm itching to work on some embroidery projects I've got brewing. The other night I was surfing and found this flicker set of beautiful and inspiring embroidery. I've been sketching, doodling and seeing pictures to embroider ever since.

On another embroidery note, this blog I frequent has an embroidery book coming out soon...I can't wait to get a peek!

A weekend with a little and a quilt

A couple of months ago I got this little pile of fabric ready to make into a quilt for my cousins new little that was due in the beginning of March. Inspiration took a long time to strike so I didn't start the quilt until about a week before my cousin's scheduled c-section.

The top went together really quickly; the purple, blue and green polka dots (from my mom's stash) I did into four-patches and paired them with blocks of the cute alphabet fabric I found at Joann's. Then the quilting I had to just fit in whenever I could spare a moment or two for some stitches. I kept finding my quilting hoop with the needle stashed in the fabric against the backdrop of the rest of my day, cooking dinner, reading to the kids, settling down for a nap time or for the night.

I got to go to Florence this past weekend to meet the little miss that was born the 23rd of February. What made the weekend even more special was I got to go ALL. BY. MYSELF. I helped with laundry, cooked some meals, and held the little while mom was taking a shower or eating dinner.

I really liked this quilt and loved the way it quilted up. Cousin Scary (family nickname) really liked it and the little got cuddled in it but was otherwise unimpressed. I'm sure it'll be a "special blankie" sometime soon.

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As a side-note, I'm wondering what people pay for baby shower gifts. Please leave a comment letting me know a range of the money you're willing to pay for a gift for a shower or a new baby. I've turned on anonymous comments so PLEASE leave a comment, even if you don't know how, and let me know...it'll help me really!

Some baby-gifting love

Mr. Wiedz's cousin and his girlfriend had a baby this past September. After the baby was born and it was known it was a girl I went right out bought this fabric for a baby quilt. I was so happy to get soft colors, PINK! PALE GREEN! GIRL COLORS!

When I bought it I didn't really have a plan, which is unusual for me but I did come up with a project that was mostly handwork so I could work on it while I was flying to Argentina. Even though I didn't fly to Argentina I was happy with having a handwork project.

I made "yo-yo's", which I had never done before. It took some trial and error with getting the gathers right since I was doing such big yo-yo's. Then I appliqued them on the background so everything looked like flowers in a meadow.

I had to ask a friend at church her opinion on the quilting and was thrilled with how it turned out.
I gave it to the sweet baby girl for Christmas. Her parents were happy and thought that she would love it.

I've been busy

You, my faithful blog audience, don't hear from me much because I spend the evening hours working on crafting projects.

• There's the unfinished quilt I gave my mother for Christmas which still needs quilting.
• The baby quilt for a family member for Christmas this year.
• And a new advent calendar for our family which needs to be done by December 1st.

To that long list I also need to make 2 stockings for the little boys that match the fabric/look of the rest of the family's, I'm hoping to get the box of fabric that my mom used to make the originals this week when I'm helping her move/celebrating Thanksgiving with them.

That's why I'm too busy to post.

Wedding Gift

Mr. Wiedz's cousin got married this summer. A beautiful wedding on the Oregon coast. Filled with family and love. Before the wedding I started a quilt to give to them as their present. I even started with the ability to get it done. But I didn't get it done in time.

I hand quilt the quilts I make. This one I went around some of the squares in the log cabin blocks and then did circles in the corners where the blocks meet. In the borders I did feather-y vines. It is the most quilting I've done on a quilt and I loved the way the vines came out.

The week before our trip I finished quilting and binding it. Then on our drive to Washington I finished the tag for the back identifying who made in for who and when. One evening in Washington while we visited I appliqued the tag onto the back and it was FINISHED!

We had already made plans with Mr. Wiedz's cousins to stop a their house and give them their gift on our way home from our trip. So after the kids were asleep at Grandpa and Grammie N's we went to their house. Cousin R was excited, she squealed that she'd hoped I was making a quilt for her. It matched their living room well and will be well used as a cozy wrap up blanket while watching TV.